Why read Ocean Stirrings?

Book cover of Ocean Stirrings: A Work of Fiction in Tribute to Louise Langdon Norton Little, Working Mother and Activist, Mother of Malcolm X and Seven Siblings

Book description

The mother of the revolutionary firebrand Malcolm X was a Grenadian woman born at the turn of the 20th century in a small rural community in a deeply colonial society where access to education had only just begun for the children of working people. She emigrated to Canada and then…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Ocean Stirrings as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Julia Marie Davis

Author

This book spans generations and continents, from Grenada to North America, exploring the intergenerational legacies of colonialism, revolution, and survival. Collins writes–using fiction and poetry–about the immigration journey of Louise Langdon Norton Little, mother of the activist Malcolm X, a Grenadian woman born in a small rural village in a deeply colonial society that offered little to no education for working-class children.

She emigrated to the US through Canada and became involved in the black civil rights movement led by activist Marcus Garvey. She embraced the black civil rights and the women’s revolutions while struggling with the realities of home…

From Julia's list on The best novels with a meaningful meditation on war, power, and the fragility of humanity.